December has a way of slowing us down. The year begins to soften at the edges, asking us to pause, reflect, and sit with what has been lived rather than what is left undone. For me, this month always carries a quiet emotional weight, and this year, that feeling has been shaped by a conversation I cannot let go of.
Every time I sit across from someone for an interview, I am reminded that stories are not just meant to be told, they are meant to be felt. Each individual I meet teaches me something, sometimes gently, sometimes with force. During one such meeting recently, I found myself listening to a woman who is a stage three blood cancer survivor. There was no drama in her voice, no attempt to inspire, no performance of strength. There was only honesty, presence and an undeniable love for life.
What struck me most was not what she had endured but how she was living. Fully. Intentionally. Without postponing joy. She spoke about her days with gratitude, about laughter without guilt, about showing up even when life felt unbearably heavy. And then she said a line that has stayed with me, living in my head rent free ever since: “The only thing I know to do is show up. Happy, broken, joyful, exhausted, I am showing up.”
In a world that constantly tells us to wait until we are healed, ready, successful or whole, this felt like a quiet rebellion. It reminded me that life does not pause for our comfort. It moves forward, with or without our permission. The beauty of life lies not in the absence of challenges but in how we meet them. Our real strength is revealed not when everything is easy but when we choose presence over perfection.
This December issue of WOW Magazine is shaped by that very spirit of showing up, even when the road is uncertain. Women on Wheels is not just a theme, it is a metaphor for movement, agency and courage. The women featured in these pages are quite literally and symbolically in motion, navigating streets, professions and lives that were never designed with them in mind. They are drivers, riders, travellers and risk takers, choosing progress over permission and presence over fear.
As the year draws to a close, I hope this issue reminds you that you do not need to have everything figured out to live fully. You only need to show up. In whatever state you are in. That, in itself, is enough.
